Death Info & Help

The Bible contains hundreds of references to death. It is a formidable foe:
"The last enemy that will be destroyed is death." (1 Corinthians 15:26); but also a conquered foe: "Death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:54).

Jesus Christ has changed the meaning of death, as Scripture shows. At death, the spirit of the believing Christian enters immediately into the
presence of the Lord. Physical death is but a transition from life on earth with Christ to life in heaven with Christ. Death does not alter the continuity of relationship; it only enriches it.

"To be with Christ is far better," says Paul (see Philippians 1:23); and he confirms that the transition to that new state is immediate: "We are
confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8).

The Bible teaches that someday the "dead in Christ" are going to be resurrected, at which time we shall be given new bodies. These new bodies will be spiritual, permanent, and glorious: "And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven." (1 Corinthians 15:49, NIV). "But we know that when [Christ] is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3:2; see also 1 Corinthians 15:51?58).

Billy Graham writes of the "resurrection that blasts apart the finality of death, providing an alternative to the stifling, settling dust of death and opens the way to new life."

At the second coming of the Lord Jesus, the believing dead will be resurrected and joined immediately to Him: "The dead in Christ will rise
first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:16?17).

We have hope beyond the grave! "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Corinthians 15:19, NIV). The reuniting of living believers with those who have died before the coming of our Lord is part of the "blessed hope"? Christians look forward to (Titus 2:13).

The Christian should be able to confront death realistically yet victoriously. Though inevitable and often unexpected, death should never catch us completely off guard. Death should never be a "great unknown" that produces fear and terror; it should be, rather, the moment when we no longer see "in a mirror, dimly" but "face to face." (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Scripture

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4).

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." (John 11:25).

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:1-3).

"But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." (Philippians 3:20?21, NIV).

You can get a referral for a Christian counselor from:

American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC)
9504-A Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA 22031-2303
703-385-6967http://www.aapc.org
A list of over 3,200 individual members of AAPC is available from the

This is not an endorsement or recommendation of any organization or group. Listings are provided as a courtesy, not as an obligation. It is up to the reader to determine whether these organizations suits his or her purposes, interests and beliefs.

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